Mysteries & Murders
by X.Living.And.Laughing.X
Summary: The suspects are rounded up, though there are not many. The murder of Trish has everyone's attention, especially her best friend, Austin Moon. What the police can't figure out is HOW the murder could have happened, since the whole house was in a "locked room" situation. The police are almost out of options, until Ally Dawson appears...will she be able to unlock the "locked room"?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Mysteries & Murders

**Author:** X. Living. And. Laughing. X

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Austin & Ally.

**Summary: **The suspects are rounded up, though there are not many. The murder of Trish has everyone's attention, especially her best friend, Austin Moon. What the police can't figure out is HOW the murder could have happened, since the whole house was in a "locked room" situation. The police are almost out of options, until Ally Dawson appears...will she be able to unlock the "locked room"?

**Author's Notes:** Hey guys! Here I am with another story! This is my very first mystery, so hopefully this will keep you on the edge of your seats. So what you need to know is that Ally is NOT part of Team Austin in this story. Everyone is obviously OCC.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please give me feedback, especially since I'm not good at mystery stories.

* * *

**Headlines:**

_Trish de la Rosa Found Dead_

_The manager of the pop sensation, Austin Moon, has been found dead on September 28, 2013. Though it appeared like it was an accident, police speculate she was murdered. However, the house she was staying in was completely locked up, so no one would have been able to enter or escape from it. Close sources to her seem to have their suspicions, but are keeping quiet about it. As of right now, the police are recording this unfortunate incident as a burglary murder. Trish de la Rosa's finance, Dez Worthy, was completely devastated, for he was the one that had found her dead. Police are taking him under questioning now since he was the only other person with the key to the house... _

* * *

Austin sighed as he leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand through his hair as he watched his phone. As soon as his best friend and film maker was released from the questioning police, he promised he would call.

But Austin waited for five minutes...an hour...three hours...half a day...a whole day...nothing.

The blonde international pop star closed his eyes as he thought of the misfortune of his two best friends. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, Dez had proposed to Trish in the most romantic way possible (in Austin's opinion); at the beach.

The new soon-to-be wed couple decided to go to the countryside for a little vacation. They had rented an old, but large country house to themselves. Once they got back, the three of them would go on tour together to other countries.

Unfortunately, when Trish was murdered, Dez was the first at the crime scene, crying loudly and clutching to his beloved who was now gone. The police investigating, searching the house from top to bottom, looking for any escape routes of the murderer. But they couldn't find anything. So the first person they had to suspect was Dez.

The police also questioned all the neighbors in the area, which weren't that many in the rural area. About 100 meters from the house was a small apple orchard, where at least five people were apple picking. The front door of the house was clearly visible from where they were. All of them had said that the only person whom they had saw enter the house was Trish herself, and shortly after, Dez.

_Ring! Ring!_

Austin's heart leaped as he swiftly picked up his phone. His heart sank almost as quickly when he saw who it was.

"Hey Jimmy", Austin said glumly into the speaker. He had his heart set on it being Dez.

"Austin, have you heard from Dez yet?" _Great, did he have to remind me?_ Austin thought to himself.

"No sir", he replied back.

A sigh on the other end. "Well Austin, I contacted the police before and they couldn't find any other suspects".

"But there is one".

A pause. "What do you know Austin?" he said suspiciously. "Why didn't you tell the police beforehand about this?"

"Because they wouldn't listen", he started raising his voice. "I have no proof. I haven't even been to the crime scene yet. I haven't seen my best friend whom they are questioning now. No one is telling me anything!"

Silence. "Austin, is there anyone you can think of who would have done such a thing?"

"Trent".

Stunned pause. Jimmy cleared his throat. "Excuse me?"

"Trent", Austin's voice was barely audible.

"Do you mean Trent as in the one who nearly stole your career? The one who Trish had dated?"

"That's him".

"But why and how Austin?"

The blonde boy sighed again. He felt his voice start to crack a little. "It was at the party when Dez had proposed to Trish. HE was there. All filled with hate and jealousy. He still had loved Trish". He gulped, swallowing back my tears. "He vowed that he would get in between them before they could get married. We didn't take him seriously at the time".

Jimmy didn't answer as he crumpled a piece of paper in his hand.

"I should have been there for her...", Austin whispered. "It's my fault. I should have told the both of them to use extra caution. Because after the party, no one had seen Trent since then".

"Austin, I'll have the police track him down now. As for you, they want you to go to the crime scene so that you can identify some of the belongings".

"Fine, I drive there myself", he said shortly hanging up. The pop star got up automatically and went to go put on a coat.

_I'm not normally like this. _He thought to himself._ In fact, I was more light headed and cheery, but not anymore. Trish had been one of my childhood best friends for as long as I could remember along with Dez. We did practically EVERYTHING together. She made up a third of Team Austin. We were Team Austin. Just me, her, and Dez._

_Things were different now. I was determined to find the truth._

* * *

After about an three hours on the empty road, the GPS on Austin's phone started losing reception. Apparently, this was kind of like an Amish area, where no electricity was used. _Oh well_, thought Austin. _The road was just one way and impossible to get lost on._

Austin didn't even play music like he usually did on the road.

_I guess I'm here_, Austin thought to himself, seeing all the police cars outside of a large, old house. In Austin's opinion, the house reminded him of one of those old, colonial time houses. The painting on the outside had faded. There were shutters, not glass windows. The ground around the house had still remained muddy from the rain from days before.

Austin parked his car in the grassy meadow where the police cars were all parked. He got out of the car and started walking towards the house.

"Young man!"

He turned around and saw a policeman coming towards him.

"Young man, please do not walk over here, it's rather muddy and also, it's still part of the crime scene", he notified.

"Well, according to my boss, I'm supposed to be here".

"Who are you?"

"Austin Moon".

The policeman nodded. "We've been expecting you. Please, let me lead you to the house".

Austin followed the police officer into the house._ The interior was not as bad as I thought it would be_, Austin thought to himself as I followed the officer up the creaking staircase.

Not much light shone in each room. Only a single bulb lite up part of the room.

"Is there a bathroom?" Austin asked the officer.

He nodded and pointed down the hall. Austin walked down the hall as the floors creaked underneath him. He started slowing down. Suddenly, he felt a chill in the back of his spine.

Slowly, he opened the bathroom door and groaned. Apparently, the countryside didn't have the current plumbing he was so used to. It was basically a big hole that led to some septic tank under ground.

"What the-"

Austin's attention was no longer on the old fashion toilet, but on a trash chute next to it. The trash chute looked like a rectangular shaped hole and seemed to have a never ending bottom.

Some kind of light was coming out of it...Austin leaned into the bathroom to try to peak into the chute, but the light became bigger and bigger...

Suddenly, a blue flame appeared coming from bottom of the chute. Austin fell backwards as he gasped loudly. The blue flame disappeared. _What was that?_

Not even thinking of an explanation for this, Austin ran as fast as his legs could carry him out of the bathroom...

"Ow! Watch where your going!"

Austin felt himself fall to the hard, creaking floor. He looked up and to his surprise, he saw a pretty blonde girl brushing herself, looking down at him with her arms folded like an adult.

"Watch where you're going!" she repeated, holding out her hand for Austin to take.

"Sorry", Austin said rather sheepishly as he took it, standing up.

"It's fine", she muttered. "Just don't run in this house. It's bad enough the police have pretty much took over. The halls are too narrow for more than two people to walk past each other".

Even though it was dark, his eyes quickly adjusted as he saw what the girl was wearing...maid's clothes.

"Excuse me, but why are you here...", Austin asked slowly.

"What's it to you?" she snapped. "If you must know, I work here. Or rather _worked_. Thanks to that girl, Trish, that got murdered, police are now suspecting me. The only reason I'm not locked up is cause I had an alibi".

"You were a maid in this house, while the couple Dez and Trish were here?"

"That's right, but another reason the police didn't suspect me is cuz I didn't have the key to get into the house. I would have to knock or call those two in the house whenever I got back", she said with her hands on her hips like a sassy girl. She stared hard at the blonde boy, who seemed to be shrinking in his spot. "I have no idea why I'm wasting my time telling you this", she said walking away.

Austin stared incredulously after her and shook his head. _How the hell did Trish and Dez deal with the likes of her?_

"Whatever", he said to himself, still in shock mostly at the mysterious blue light he had seen in the bathroom. Was it...a ghost light?


	2. Chapter 2

Austin found everyone (the police) in the upstair's bedroom. He closed his eyes and looked away at the outline of Trish's body, which laid on the floor in front of him. This was where she had died...

"Excuse sir, but must I stay in this room?" he asked one of the officers, who was busy writing something down.

"I apologize, but we must ask you to stay just a bit longer. We need you to identify some items".

Austin sighed and looked down as the officer continued with his work. Two more talking officers had come into the room, making Austin look up to see them.

"What had happened to this girl? What was the cause of her death?" asked the officer, whom Austin suspected was the head there by his authority and presence in the room, though he could have not been more than 21 years old.

"According to the medics, there was a bump on her head indicating she had hit her head against the beam of the wall. However, there were also scratch marks on her face showing that she was pushed".

The head officer raised an eyebrow. "So it wasn't an accident?"

"Clearly not. However, the case is confusing because of the means of escape the burglar had used", the police officer read off of his notes. "The window was found open on the second floor. He probably escaped that way".

Austin couldn't help but intervene. "What's so confusing about that?" he interrupted the conversation, can't helping himself anymore.

The two officers looked at him. "Who are you?" the head officer asked.

"Austin Moon, the friend of the girl who was murdered", he answered in a monotone voice.

"Oh, my apologies Austin", the head officer said, sending away the officer with him. "I'm Dallas".

Austin nodded his head as Dallas took out a notepad from his pocket. He also pulled out a folded up photo.

"Now Austin, according to some investigation, we may have found out what the burglar was after", Dallas said. He unfolded the picture and handed it to a curious Austin. "That was gone from Dez and Trish's luggage".

Austin looked at the photo and nearly broke down. It was a picture of the award that was given to Team Austin, which he had let the two keep. It was an award for best 'Upcoming Artist of the Year'. The small statue of the music note itself was made of platinum while the stand it was on was made of pure gold. Austin had given this award to his two best friends, whom he really couldn't do any of that without. He also knew that the couple had taken the award with them where ever they went, since it was the first biggest accomplishment we did together.

"It would have been worth a lot of money, if the burglar sells it", Dallas said. "Ms. de la Rosa probably had unfortunately stumbled across him when she had come home, thus causing him to kill her".

"But what about how he had escaped from the house?" Austin asked handing back the photo of the award.

"That's the thing. The only window that was open in the entire house was the upstairs window on the 2nd floor. There is only one door which is the front door, which the burglar could not have used. Otherwise, people from the apple orchard would have been able to see him".

Austin nodded slowly as he tried to imagine how the burglar had escaped from the 2nd floor window. It wasn't impossible, but it was odd. Why would he jump out from the 2nd story? And how had the burglar get into the house in the first place?

"Hey Dallas".

Austin looked up to see a brunette girl walk into the room. His heart took a leap when he saw her. Skinny, petite, but she was dressed very simple with her hair gorgeously curled. She appeared to be carrying a heavy book in her hand.

"Ally, what's up?" the officer walked over to her.

"The officers downstairs asked to see you. They have just got here", she said a bored, monotone voice.

"Right, I'll be there", Dallas said. "Thanks Als". He walked out of the room, leaving the two teens together along with some other police officers still investigating the room.

The brunette girl paid no attention to Austin and simply leaned against the wall and opened up her book. The blonde boy looked a little astounded by this, considering that most girls her age would be all over him or would be trying to talk him up.

Austin cleared his throat. The brunette girl did not look up. He cleared his throat again. She still didn't look up. Finally, Austin walked over her and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl finally looked up from her book with an expressionless look on her face.

"Hi", Austin started. "I'm Austin Moon".

"Ally Dawson", the girl said shortly before returning to her book.

Austin was astounded at this girl's attitude. She was paying NO attention to him at all! He tried to make up a conversation.

"So, is Dallas your b-", Austin started to say, but slowed down at the last part.

Ally looked up from her book and looked at the blonde boy. "Brother? Yes", she said, obviously oblivious to what Austin was about to say.

"Oh, brother," Austin said surprised. "That's nice". Of course, when he looked back at her, she was back to reading her book.

He sighed as the door opened and Dallas walked in with several police officers. Ally paid no attention to the their presence in the room and continued to read her book.

"This case can't be closed until the we figured out how the criminal escaped!" Dallas exclaimed to the officers, who were in different uniforms than he was. Austin could see that they were from the government from the badges they wore.

"According to your police reports, it seems that it was merely a tragic accident due to the clumsiness of the girl. She must have tripped, hit her head into the beam, and died that way", one of the men said smoothly.

Austin felt anger rising inside him. _How dare they just try to let this go?!_

"You can't just close this case!" Austin said angrily at the men, who looked slightly aback taken. "I want to find out who murdered my best friend!"

The man in front looked at him calmly as the police officers in the room stopped doing their investigation to watch the scene take place. "Unless you can prove or show how the so called 'burglar' escaped, or this case will be filed away as an accident".

"Actually", another man stepped forth. "There is a possibly it it was a murder".

Everyone went silent.

"H-How?" Dallas asked the man.

"Her fiance murdered her".

Austin went berserk. "No he wouldn't! Dez wouldn't do that!"

"Calm down Austin!" Dallas tried to hold him back along with the other officers. The government men simply stood calmly as the blonde boy continued yelling.

"It was Trent! Trent was the one! It had to be!" he yelled at the government guys.

"Then how did he escape from the house? Hmm boy?" the man asked. "If her fiance didn't murder her, than it must have been an accident".

"No, it was murder".

Everyone in the room looked at the brunette girl who has been so absorbed in her book. Her eyes were still on the book she read as her brother walked over to her.

"What are you saying Ally?" Dallas asked her.

She finally looked up from her book and looked at her brother in the eye. "She was murdered. There is no doubt about that".


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone in the room looked at the petite brunette girl, who remained emotionless. Dallas walked slowly over to his younger sister.

"Ally, how can you tell?" he asked.

One of the officers stepped forward. "Are you saying that her husband had, in fact, murdered her?"

The brunette remained motionless as she shook her head. "It's not certain that he was the one that killed her, but please take a look at the situation: The girl was killed from banging her head against the wooden beam on the side of the wall. From what I see, there is nothing in this room that would make her trip into the wall. Also, if she had indeed tripped, why would she trip into the direction of the wall? Her instincts would naturally have her stick out her hands in front of her to avoid getting hit in the head".

She said all this very fast without pausing for a breath as everyone in the room tried to take in her observations. Austin could only gape at this girl, who barely knew any of the facts but was able to deduct all of this within reasoning.

"Well", one of the officers cleared his throat after a long pause of silence. "That is all very possible and true, but that would mean that her husband had murdered her. After all, he was the last person who had last been with her".

"But why would he murder her? It would be too obvious if he did. Also, how do you explain the missing award?"

"He could have hid it".

"When would he have time? Unless your police 'men' are so unprofessional that they couldn't find this piece of evidence".

The brunette said this without looking at him calmly as he turned red in anger. Dallas and Austin watch incredulously as Ally remained emotionless as she insulted the officer.

Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the room in a robotic manner. Austin immediately went after her.

"Wait! Excuse me!" Austin rushed after her down the narrow hallway. She stopped, not turning around. The blonde went in front of the brunette. "Please, can you solve this case?"

The brunette remained ever so emotionless as Austin looked desperately at her. "Please, if you were able to deduct all of that, maybe you can try and solve this case!" He slowed down his breathing as he looked onto the ground. "If my friend Trish was indeed murdered...it wouldn't be right to just close this locked room case and assume it was Dez!"

A single tear came out of the corner of his eyes as he shut them, can't baring the fact that his best friend was being wrongly accused of a crime.

"I'll do it".

Austin looked up slowly at the sound of the angelic voice. Hope flooded back into him as the girl, still emotionless, looked at him with plain eyes.

"W-What?"

"I can do it", she answered plainly. "If it indeed is a murder, there is no locked room in the world that can't be unlocked".

Though what she had just said sounded so cliche, Austin never felt happier to receive help, even though he barely knew her.

"Thank you so mu-", Austin started to say, but she walked past him with no emotion. Startled but grateful, Austin followed after her. To his surprise, she was heading outside.

"Uh, where are you going?" he asked the brunette, but she didn't respond. Instead, she walked out the front door (with Austin, tripping and stumbling to catch up to her) and observed the house.

As Austin clambered outside, the brunette closed her eyes, thinking.

"The window open upstairs...it was the only window open, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's what the police said".

Even before Austin was done with that sentence, Ally had already started walking to the side of the house with the window that was open on the top floor. She knelt down onto the muddy, grassy ground as she observed it.

"Look here", she ordered Austin, who was looking perplexed at the moment. "Please observe this ground over here".

Austin looked at where she was looking at, feeling more and more clueless than usual. "What about it?"

"Do you see any footprints?"

He shook his head.

"Yet on the day before the crime happened, it was raining. I remember because I was eating breakfast at a diner at day and it was pouring", she explained in a monotone voice. "If the criminal had went through the window, his footprints would have been here, unless he used a ladder or something-"

Ally paused at her statement. Instantly, she got up and walked around the house, carefully spectating the ground. Austin continued to feel even more confused as he watched the brunette observe every inch of the ground.

"I found it".

The blonde boy walked over to Ally's side.

"What did you find?"

"Look at these marks", Ally pointed to the ground.

Austin looked and saw there were faded, but visible shallow holes on the ground, about one foot apart from each other.

"There was indeed a step ladder used to get in on THIS side of the house", Ally remarked. "Yet, the window had appeared closed at the scene of the crime". She paused. "And also, there are no clear footprints here which means the rain must have washed it away".

Austin raised an eyebrow. "But it rained the day BEFORE the crime happened".

"Indeed".

"What does that mean?" Austin asked feeling even more stupider each moment.

"It means", the brunette turned to him. "that the burglar came into the house a day before the crime had happened and stayed in there, probably waiting for everyone to leave the house the next day".

"Come again?" Austin asked shocked.

"I can't be sure till I have gotten all the facts", she simply said more to herself than to the puzzled blonde boy. "But if that were the case, how did the person escape from the house without leaving any footprints?"

Suddenly, an officer came running out of the house.

"Mr. Austin Moon sir", he said out of breath. "Have you mentioned the name 'Trent' before?"

"I have", he answered.

"Well, we have found his identification in the basement of the house behind some boxes".

* * *

**Confusing? I don't blame you if you are. But you'll see how this will all come together in the end. Picture this: Ally is basically in her own little world as she is trying to solve this case while Austin is confused like he usually is. Ally's personality differs than her personality on the show because in this story, she is more to herself and obviously not one to talk to anyone, but at the same time can deduct as fast as Sherlock Holmes. **

**I'll try to better explain Ally's explanation in the next chapter once we have most of the facts.**


End file.
